30 June 2007

Another monsoon update

Above: The skies over Bangalore.

Following my last update, most of India is now getting a good monsoon soaking. Here in Bangalore, apart from a few fallen trees due to strong winds, we've been spared most of the fury. For the past week the cloudy, menacing skies threatened rain, but we only got a light sprinkling here and there.

Other parts of India, however, have been devastated by the heavy rains. Last weekend there were floods and devastation in other parts of Karnataka and the state of Andhra Pradesh. A depression in the Bay of Bengal was to blame. The cover of Sunday's newspaper showed a bus submerged in flood waters with only the tops of trees visible. Strong winds uprooted trees and brought down power lines, disrupting electricity supply. Several roads were closed and trains cancelled or diverted.

Mumbai (Bombay) has been experiencing heavy rains for the past 24 hours, with several low-lying parts of the city experiencing flooding. The airport was temporarily closed today due to poor visibility. The downpour is expected to continue for the next two days in the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Goa.

Next week I'm heading to Orissa for a few weeks. I checked the forecast and sure enough it's: rain, rain, rain...